80 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Mabch, 
The economy of the ox-team is recognized 
where heavy, steady work is to be done, where 
rapidity gives place to vigorous hauling and 
patience in toiling through sloughs or over 
rough and rocky ground. The strength of the 
ox is so great that we are in the habit of under¬ 
estimating it, and though we often overtax his 
endurance, and cruelly try his patience, we rare¬ 
ly, if ever, allow him to exercise his full power. 
The spirited engraving, above, was drawn ex¬ 
pressly with a view of exhibiting the position in 
which a pair of steers naturally lay out their full 
strength. He who has not seen the rival lords 
of neighboring herds meet and dispute the right 
to favorite pasture grounds, (a sight rarely seen 
in the older parts of the country,) has lost one 
of the most magnificent exhibitions of power, 
activity and well-wielded strength, steadiness, 
perseverance and nerve, that can be witnessed. 
There is something really terrible in the way 
they hurl their ponderous bodies against each 
other, in the clash of their horns, and in the 
solid thud caused by the meeting of their fore¬ 
heads. With locked horns and heads held low 
they crowd each other, the ground yields and 
the close turf tears beneath their strong hoofs. 
Every muscle of the body is tense, every sinew 
taut, and every energy alive. The ivhole power 
of the animal is concentrated in one point, and 
that is his forehead. If we examine the skel¬ 
eton and muscles of an ox, the manner in which 
his limbs are placed with reference.to his trunk, 
and how his neck is strengthened by massive 
muscles, and see how the backbone is calcu¬ 
lated to communicate the power of the animal 
through its entire length, we must all be con¬ 
vinced that nature intended he should ex¬ 
ercise hi3 power through his neck and by his 
head. When we saddle his neck, and neutra¬ 
lize the force of its muscles, and give his head 
nothing to do, and contract his throat, and 
force him to draw with the weight of the 
load, in addition to nearly the whole strain of 
the draft bearing upon the tops of the upward 
projecting processes of the spine, we subject the 
animal to cruel pain, and unphilosophically force 
him to apply his strength in a most unnatural 
manner. How and then we find a sort of bull¬ 
necked ox having a broad mass of muscle 
just where the yoke rests, and such an animal is 
always famous as a willing drawer. Then too, 
if we take our steers young enough we may 
form a callus for the yoke to bear upon, and 
thus train oxen of great toughness. The sim¬ 
ple fact that a well broken team will back as 
heavy a load as they will draw, shows that there 
must be some radical fault in their way of draw¬ 
ing. Among other people than those of British 
descent, we have had occasion repeatedly to no¬ 
tice various forms of head gear. Several are in 
Fig. 2.— PLOWING WITH HEAD YOKE. 
Use in Germany, others still are found in France 
and Italy. The Mexicans and Texans use head- 
yokes, as do also the French creoles of Louisiana. 
We give an engraving representing a pair of cat¬ 
tle with head-yokes as if plowing; chain-traces 
supported by a strap across the back are attach¬ 
ed to the plow in the usual way. Their heads 
are connected' by a rope. The cut of the yoke 
j explains itself almost—a strong piece of oak 
bent a little like a gambrel, padded on the inside 
of the curve, furnished with straps by which it 
is attached to the horns, and hooks or eyes on 
the ends for the traces. Another common 
Fig. 3.—FORM OF HEAD YOKE. 
method is to strap one end of a straight bar to the 
front of each ox, and have them draw by the 
wagon pole, or by a single chain. Another way 
is to put the bar behind the horns, and attach it 
by means of straps and pads bearing upon the 
foreheads. We have little doubt that the 
available power of the ox might be increased 
nearly or quite one-third by the adoption of 
a more philosophical method of yoking. 
Yeaning Ewes. —Stables supplied with well 
trodden litter are better than sheds. There 
should be so few ewes that there will be no 
crowding. If a ewe is in trouble help her. If 
the lamb is weak, and the dam restless, lay her 
down carefully and encourage the lamb to suck. 
If the milk has not come, give the lamb its first 
few meals from other ewes that can spare the 
milk. Never give a young lamb the milk of a 
farrow cow. Should lambs be found chilled 
and stupid from cold, they may given a bath 
as hot as can be borne by the hand without 
pain, and rubbed dry afterward. A few drops 
of spirits (rum or gin) mixed with milk, often 
help much to revive a chilled lamb. The pres¬ 
ent and prospective high prices of sheep, make 
it important to look out well for the next crop 
of lambs. A few minutes’ care may save a lamb. 
